1. In this age of wild passing attacks, defense and running games can not only make for interesting football but also for winning teams. Neither the Bears nor the Texans will remind anyone of Air Coryell or the current Green Bay Packers offense. However, this looked like a real battle of playoff heavyweights that everyone expected and the poor field conditions did little to change that.

Both defenses caused turnovers, and it came down to the team which ran the ball more consistently, like a throwback matchup in the 1960s and '70s. Both defenses have the type of pass rush and run-stopping ability that will keep them in playoff contests.

The Texans didn't display a passing attack that will cause fear among possible playoff opponents, and the Bears didn't get a chance to show much of a passing game in the second half after losing Jay Cutler to a concussion.

In a year in which no one team has stood up and proved itself as the favorite in either conference—witness the Atlanta Falcons' loss Sunday—both the Bears and Texans showed Sunday night that it could be a year when a recent trend toward offenses slows enough that strong defense and a running game can produce a legitimate Super Bowl threat.

2. The Bears have to get Jay Cutler back. They couldn't win without him last year, going 1-5 after he was lost to a broken thumb. They thought that signing Jason Campbell would give them a chance if something happened to Cutler. Campbell actually moved the offense better than Cutler did for much of the second half, completing a 45-yarder to Brandon Marshall that led to a field goal and hitting five of his first seven attempts.

However, when the big plays needed to be made at game's end against a good defense, Campbell had no answer. Campbell can probably do enough to get the Bears wins against weaker teams, but the schedule doesn’t have many of those games remaining.

The rest of the schedule includes games against San Francisco, Seattle, Green Bay, Arizona and Detroit and two against resurgent Minnesota. It's not the kind of slate in which backup QBs are going to win many, even when backed up by a stout defense.

3. The middle of Houston's defense has enough depth to be stout against the run. Even with nose tackle Shaun Cody on the sideline due to a painful rib injury, and linebacker Brian Cushing (torn ACL) lost for the season, the Texans’ defense stood up to the Bears’ running attack.

Bears running back Matt Forte had just 11 rushing yards at halftime. If not for Cutler scrambling for 37 yards in the first half, the Texans’ run defense would have been dominant.

With weather unfit for passing offenses, it was obvious the running game would have to be big and the Texans had an answer. Playing in a weak division led to questions about whether the Texans could stand up to stronger running attacks or offenses.

How could they do against teams that live by the run and are physical like Baltimore and Pittsburgh? While the Bears’ offensive line isn't the caliber of those teams, Chicago still had to run the ball well enough to rank 11th coming into the contest and Houston answered this question with an exclamation point.